Couple Has 17 Kangaroos in Their Home: 'I've Woken Up to One on My Head'

Posted: 4:36 PM, February 09, 2018Updated: 4:36 PM, February 09, 2018

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A couple lives with 17 roommates — baby kangaroos.

Theresa and Tony Matthews of Victoria, Australia, have dedicated their lives to rehabilitating orphaned joeys.

"Because of our love for kangaroos, we just opened up our home to them," Theresa explained in an interview with Barcroft TV. "And this rescuing got bigger and got bigger."

Tony explained that their rescue, Our Haven Wildlife Shelter, started in 2010, when someone drove up to their home, asked whether they know anything about wild animals, and dropped a kangaroo off at their home.

They took the kangaroo in, and named it Bobby.

“We realized that there was no one here for these joeys and they were being euthanized, not because there was anything wrong with them, there were just no way to go,” Theresa explained.

Since then, their donation-funded rescue has grown tremendously, although Theresa and Tony no longer get much personal space.

"I’ve woken up to one on my head," Theresa joked. "Actually, Lucky the swamp wallaby has done that quite a few times."

She says that each of the animals they've taken in have different personalities, and love apples, almonds and sweet potatoes.

The rescued marsupials grow on them quickly, which makes letting them go after rehabilitation all the more difficult.

“It’s hard to say goodbye, and I always cry on the way home, but you know, it’s about them, not us,” Theresa explained. “We’ve done our jobs and we've got to let them go."

In addition to the 17 eastern gray kangaroos, they also have three swamp wallabies and a pygmy possum living in their home.